Have a good weekend, everyone.
With love,
Miranda
Friday, October 9, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
maybe it's the sugar talking...
I've been thinking a lot of deep thoughts lately: contemplative, confused, alliterative thoughts. And I've been trying to figure out what to write about in the old blog, and how to get all my thoughts out and worded correctly. But just now, I had a delicious snack, and decided to write about that instead.
Every day I eat yogurt - it was the hardest thing to give up during my brief foray into veganism. Lately I've been bringing a cup of Fage Greek yogurt to work, with honey and pecans to stir in. It's really good. I also always bring oatmeal to work, with a little baggie of fixins: brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins. WELL. Today, I didn't eat my breakfast, so when I was eating my yogurt, my little bag of sugar and raisins was sitting seductively on my desk, and I thought, "hey... that could work." So along with the honey and nuts I mixed in delicious brown sugar, raisins and cinnamon. I was hesitant at first - would it overpower the yogurt? Would I regret this decision to mar my healthy snack with extra sugar?
Turns out it was a whole lot of crap to put into a tiny cup of yogurt, but ultimately I'm glad I dove in and tried it. In short: carpe diem, my friends! Put too much stuff in your yogurt! It might be delicious.
Every day I eat yogurt - it was the hardest thing to give up during my brief foray into veganism. Lately I've been bringing a cup of Fage Greek yogurt to work, with honey and pecans to stir in. It's really good. I also always bring oatmeal to work, with a little baggie of fixins: brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins. WELL. Today, I didn't eat my breakfast, so when I was eating my yogurt, my little bag of sugar and raisins was sitting seductively on my desk, and I thought, "hey... that could work." So along with the honey and nuts I mixed in delicious brown sugar, raisins and cinnamon. I was hesitant at first - would it overpower the yogurt? Would I regret this decision to mar my healthy snack with extra sugar?
Turns out it was a whole lot of crap to put into a tiny cup of yogurt, but ultimately I'm glad I dove in and tried it. In short: carpe diem, my friends! Put too much stuff in your yogurt! It might be delicious.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Fall in Florida
If you know me, you know that I love Fall. I love the way the air gets crispy, and I love crunching leaves under my feet, and putting on a sweater for the first time. After spending the last 14 years in the northeast, I am looking around for signs of Fall here in the beachy south.
Some things remain the same: Starbucks unveils their myriad pumpkin products, kids go back to school, Halloween costume shops open. But of course the leaves here don't change color (or haven't yet), and the only time I need a sweater is indoors, because air-conditioning temperatures remain arctic. The thing that has been a pleasant surprise to me, though, is that I can really feel a difference in the air. It is noticeably less humid, easier to breathe. And in the afternoons, when I look out the office windows, the light is like pure crystal. The other day it was almost pinkish, and the clouds were less puffy and just a touch more wispy.
I can't wait to start cooking squash and other Fall veggies, and I really can't wait to put on some boots and walk around, looking for a magnolia leaf to crunch.
Some things remain the same: Starbucks unveils their myriad pumpkin products, kids go back to school, Halloween costume shops open. But of course the leaves here don't change color (or haven't yet), and the only time I need a sweater is indoors, because air-conditioning temperatures remain arctic. The thing that has been a pleasant surprise to me, though, is that I can really feel a difference in the air. It is noticeably less humid, easier to breathe. And in the afternoons, when I look out the office windows, the light is like pure crystal. The other day it was almost pinkish, and the clouds were less puffy and just a touch more wispy.
I can't wait to start cooking squash and other Fall veggies, and I really can't wait to put on some boots and walk around, looking for a magnolia leaf to crunch.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
some new recommendations
Hello faithful blog audience. I don't know how many of you are left, but if you're reading this - Thank you! I have been following the blog 1000awesomethings.com and it has inspired me to think about all the little things in life that I love. So, in that spirit I wanted to share some things I've been into lately.
1. The song "East" by The Weather Station. This band is from Toronto, and has intensified my love for Canada. I heard it on All Songs Considered (here) while driving to work one morning, and it was the first time a song made me cry just out of appreciation for its beauty. Also, the singer taught herself how to play the banjo, which is really awesome.
2. Kashi Pumpkin Pie granola bars. Sweet, spicy, soft, crunchy, these things are weird at first but amazing later. Perfect mid-morning snack.
3. The song "Will You Return" by the Avett Brothers, especially the music video. I would link to it, but YouTube is blocked at work. Google it though, seriously. Also playing this song on guitar is super fun.
4. Eating potato chips after you've just been swimming, especially if you stay in the pool and eat them poolside. Your fingers are still a little wet, so the salt sticks to them and is more fun to lick off. There is just something luxurious about eating and drinking poolside, even more so if someone brings you the potato chips and/or drink. Mmmm.
5. Neil Gaiman. This guy is really a great writer. He wrote Coraline, and Neverwhere, which I'm currently reading. Both books have themes of an "other" world, and he creates these whole parallel universes without being hokey or gimmicky. He reminds me of Philip Pullman, another semi-geeky-but-pretty-profound sci-fi writer.
Okay that is all for now! I am going to try to update more consistently with lists like this. BONUS RECOMMENDATION: making lists of things you like. It's pretty uplifting!
peace, love, happiness.
1. The song "East" by The Weather Station. This band is from Toronto, and has intensified my love for Canada. I heard it on All Songs Considered (here) while driving to work one morning, and it was the first time a song made me cry just out of appreciation for its beauty. Also, the singer taught herself how to play the banjo, which is really awesome.
2. Kashi Pumpkin Pie granola bars. Sweet, spicy, soft, crunchy, these things are weird at first but amazing later. Perfect mid-morning snack.
3. The song "Will You Return" by the Avett Brothers, especially the music video. I would link to it, but YouTube is blocked at work. Google it though, seriously. Also playing this song on guitar is super fun.
4. Eating potato chips after you've just been swimming, especially if you stay in the pool and eat them poolside. Your fingers are still a little wet, so the salt sticks to them and is more fun to lick off. There is just something luxurious about eating and drinking poolside, even more so if someone brings you the potato chips and/or drink. Mmmm.
5. Neil Gaiman. This guy is really a great writer. He wrote Coraline, and Neverwhere, which I'm currently reading. Both books have themes of an "other" world, and he creates these whole parallel universes without being hokey or gimmicky. He reminds me of Philip Pullman, another semi-geeky-but-pretty-profound sci-fi writer.
Okay that is all for now! I am going to try to update more consistently with lists like this. BONUS RECOMMENDATION: making lists of things you like. It's pretty uplifting!
peace, love, happiness.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
sweet potato fries and other things
Well, I used to use this blog as a place to put recipes, and it's been a long while since I've done that. But, this weekend I tried a super easy and delicious Rachel Ray recipe that I would recommend to you, faithful blog audience. Simply cut 4 large sweet potatoes into about 10 slices from each potato. In a bowl, pour olive oil on them, add salt & pepper, and mix them up so they're coated thoroughly. Then pour them out onto a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes at 425 degrees, flipping occasionally and voila! A healthy, delicious side dish.
Tonight I start playing with the Rollins Wind Ensemble, which should be a fun thing. I'm really glad to be getting more involved with music-related things - it's great to stay in touch with the music world without being a competitive participant in it.
Anyway, I don't have much else to say, but just wanted to update. Florida is good, although hurricane season is upon us.
Tonight I start playing with the Rollins Wind Ensemble, which should be a fun thing. I'm really glad to be getting more involved with music-related things - it's great to stay in touch with the music world without being a competitive participant in it.
Anyway, I don't have much else to say, but just wanted to update. Florida is good, although hurricane season is upon us.
Monday, August 17, 2009
where am i, and how did i get here?
My life lately has been in a state of upheaval, and it’s made me think about a lot of things. With many of my friends I’ve had conversations about faith and God and happiness, and I’ve always been open minded about different people’s opinions. But I realize that I don’t really have a solid opinion on the matter myself. I dabbled in atheism, but believing in nothing is crushingly lonely for me. I believe in a higher power, but organized religion, going to church, etc. doesn’t really work for me. I do believe that we humans are all connected to each other and to something greater than us. But the thing that I’ve been wondering about today is whether or not that higher power is something that guides us. When I’ve gone through hard times in the past I’ve relied on this mantra: everything is unfolding perfectly. In the past, it’s helped me remain optimistic. It’s reminded me to learn from difficult situations, and find peace within myself when there is none around me. But lately I’m just starting to wonder what that really means.
I’ve made a huge life change by moving to Florida. I left the northeast – my familiar, warm bubble – where my closest friends are. I truly felt that moving to Florida was the “right” thing to do. When I moved here everything happened really easily – I found great friends, a job, a band. The contrast between how difficult it was to establish a life in New York and establish one here is startling. And I guess the fact that it was so easy to get started here has made me feel impatient for more things to happen, but I have to remember that I’ve only been here 2.5 months. So, is everything unfolding perfectly? The thing is that I don’t feel satisfied, and some of the things I have are things that I don’t really want, and I’m plagued by this fear that I will succumb to complacency with my job the way I did in NYC and 2 years will go by, hardly noticed, and I’ll be in the same cubicle, still pining for something more. I wish I knew where I was going, and what exactly IS unfolding, if in fact it is unfolding perfectly. I don’t feel like I’m being guided by anything larger than me, and often I feel completely lost and uncertain.
Today I was reading an old friend’s blog, and he was writing about his life, and he had this period of time where several areas of his life bloomed simultaneously. He got engaged, found a perfect job in a city where he wants to live, and discovered that his fiancé could be employed by the same school. That to me is everything unfolding perfectly. It gives me hope that that all happened to him. That he struggled, and was uncertain, but that there was this final release where everything just fell into place. I know that’s not the end of the story, but I still sometimes wish for my own happily ever after.
I’ve made a huge life change by moving to Florida. I left the northeast – my familiar, warm bubble – where my closest friends are. I truly felt that moving to Florida was the “right” thing to do. When I moved here everything happened really easily – I found great friends, a job, a band. The contrast between how difficult it was to establish a life in New York and establish one here is startling. And I guess the fact that it was so easy to get started here has made me feel impatient for more things to happen, but I have to remember that I’ve only been here 2.5 months. So, is everything unfolding perfectly? The thing is that I don’t feel satisfied, and some of the things I have are things that I don’t really want, and I’m plagued by this fear that I will succumb to complacency with my job the way I did in NYC and 2 years will go by, hardly noticed, and I’ll be in the same cubicle, still pining for something more. I wish I knew where I was going, and what exactly IS unfolding, if in fact it is unfolding perfectly. I don’t feel like I’m being guided by anything larger than me, and often I feel completely lost and uncertain.
Today I was reading an old friend’s blog, and he was writing about his life, and he had this period of time where several areas of his life bloomed simultaneously. He got engaged, found a perfect job in a city where he wants to live, and discovered that his fiancé could be employed by the same school. That to me is everything unfolding perfectly. It gives me hope that that all happened to him. That he struggled, and was uncertain, but that there was this final release where everything just fell into place. I know that’s not the end of the story, but I still sometimes wish for my own happily ever after.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
pontificate
Lately I have been into reading these sites, fmylife.com, mylifeisaverage.com, and mylifeisg.com, all of which feature short, 2-3 sentence stories about various daily events. And after spending so many hours a day reading these things, I find that it's harder for my brain to think in long, compound sentences. And that is something that I find kind of scary.
What has happened to the long-winded letter? Some of my favorite things in the book Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood are the chapters that are letters from one character to another. The letters are long, artful, well thought-out, and personal. But now, I feel like daily communication has been chopped up, shortened, amputated, injured. Now we communicate (and sometimes I even think!) in acronyms: FML, OMG, WTF, BFF.
Don't get me wrong, I love how easy it has become to communicate with people. My small circle of friends is so spread out that it would be impossible to write letters to each of them, filling them in on various life events. And I think that a certain sense of intimacy can be felt when you can text your friend 1,000 miles away to say, "hey i got to this movie super early, aren't i an idiot," rather than wait until something big happens for which a letter would be appropriate. So I like quick, rapid-fire communication, but I just wish there was someway to balance that with the art of writing a beautiful letter.
I guess until I figure out how to write an artful text message, my little blog will suffice. Long live English!
What has happened to the long-winded letter? Some of my favorite things in the book Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood are the chapters that are letters from one character to another. The letters are long, artful, well thought-out, and personal. But now, I feel like daily communication has been chopped up, shortened, amputated, injured. Now we communicate (and sometimes I even think!) in acronyms: FML, OMG, WTF, BFF.
Don't get me wrong, I love how easy it has become to communicate with people. My small circle of friends is so spread out that it would be impossible to write letters to each of them, filling them in on various life events. And I think that a certain sense of intimacy can be felt when you can text your friend 1,000 miles away to say, "hey i got to this movie super early, aren't i an idiot," rather than wait until something big happens for which a letter would be appropriate. So I like quick, rapid-fire communication, but I just wish there was someway to balance that with the art of writing a beautiful letter.
I guess until I figure out how to write an artful text message, my little blog will suffice. Long live English!
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